25/04/2025 09:15
George Russell is adamant he is "not even close" to the height of
his powers in F1, after an impressive start to the current season.
The Mercedes driver has secured three podium finishes from the
opening five rounds, including a exceptional performance at the
Bahrain Grand Prix in his ailing W16 to hold off the fast-charging
Lando Norris for second place. Despite a more difficult weekend in
Saudi Arabia, when he fell from third at the start to fifth by the
chequered flag, it means the 27-year-old sits just 26 points adrift
of the Oscar Piastri atop the drivers' standings, with his
consistency and pace keeping him within touching distance of the
championship fight despite battling with inferior machinery. Those
results and his accompanying form has been the catalyst for the
paddock-wide consensus that he has taken a considerable step
forward this year. This view has been compounded by the Briton
stepping out the shadow of compatriot Lewis Hamilton, who departed
for Ferrari over the winter, and himself obtaining the lead driver
role alongside the talented rookie Kimi Antonelli. However, Russell
sees the situation differently. Not only does he not believe his
improvement over the off-season is not as pronounced as is being
suggested, he insists he still has some way to go before he reaches
his peak, something he maintains is attainable. "I personally feel
like I'm doing my own thing, really," the three-time grand prix
winner told media including RacingNews365 . "I don't think my
performances have stepped up massively since last year, I think I
was performing at a very good level throughout the end of last
year, from probably Austin time onwards. "Of course, being
team-mates with a seven-time world champion, you've always got a
fight on your hands, week in, week out. "It wasn't straightforward,
but I don't think I'm going about my business any different from
last year, but I do think I am driving at the best of my abilities,
and I feel that I'm getting stronger every single season - and I
still feel there's a lot of room for me to improve. "I feel that
I'm not even close to my peak yet, and that excites me a lot,
because I still see areas of improvement that is very much
achievable, and that I very much believe will bring performance to
my game."
